(Bloomberg) — Boeing Co. expects some testing on the upcoming 777X model to spill into 2027, even as the US planemaker reiterated that deliveries of the long-delayed model are on track to begin next year.
The planemaker blamed the delays on the pending certification of a seal on the GE Aerospace turbine that powers the jet.
“That’s probably going to cause us a little bit of a challenge between now and the end of the year,” said Kelly Ortberg, Boeing’s chief executive officer, at a Morgan Stanley investor conference on Wednesday. “We may see some some of the testing spill into the next year. We’re still planning on 2027 deliveries.”
The 777X, which is now seven years late, is of major strategic and financial importance to Boeing in its duel with Airbus SE for a bigger slice of the lucrative long-haul market.
While Boeing reiterated its guidance of generating between $1 billion and $3 billion in free cash this year, Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave said it was “a little bit less likely” to exceed the mid-point of the guidance due to a slower pace of deliveries on the key 737 and 787 models.
Shares of Boeing fell as much as 6%, the most since October 2025, and were down 5.3% at 3:11 p.m. in New York. The stock has declined 8.5% this year.
Ortberg also downplayed the prospect of a major order from China, tied to President Xi Jinping’s upcoming trip to the US, being firmed up in one fell swoop. The executive said that while the company expects there to be “an increment of orders going forward,” they will be announced by Chinese airlines at their own pace.
Ortberg said he expects certification on another long-delayed model “very soon.” Boeing has completed all the needed flight testing on the key 737 Max 10 variant and regulators are currently evaluating all the documentation, he said.
The long-delayed 737 Max 10 is the largest variant of Boeing’s best-selling jet family, and will take on Airbus’ top-selling A321neo jet. The model is key to generating cash and improving Boeing’s finances after a number of crises over the past near-decade.
Boeing is working on a turnaround after years of crises and quality lapses that triggered a leadership shakeup and tarnished its relationship with customers and US regulators.
(Updates throughout with further comments from executives, shares.)
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